How To Cut Porcelain Stoneware At Home

14th August 2020

4 ways to cut porcelain stoneware: tile cutter, angle grinder, waterjet How to quickly and evenly cut porcelain stoneware with your own hands. Is it better to cut: electric or manual tile cutter, angle grinder or waterjet?

Mechanical tile cutter

It is the most popular tile tool exclusively. There are many variations, but a porcelain stoneware tile cutter should be relatively powerful and durable. It consists of a bed, rail guides, cutting roller and tabs for breaking tiles. The machine (bearing or cylinder) with two guides has become widespread.

Manual tile cutter device.

To cut porcelain stoneware:

Mark the boundaries of the cut.
Place the plate on the tool bed with one mark to the center of the bed and the other to the cutter wheel.
Move the roller evenly from one mark to another.
Gently press the paws into the cutting area.

Cheap tile cutters are chipping due to roller play and poor pressure.

We are talking about “standard”, popular, tile cutters with a relatively low cost. An expensive tool, especially a monorail, is free from this drawback. But for homework, for obvious reasons, it is not suitable.

Hand tools are good for quickly cutting a large number of slabs, the cut of which will later be hidden. In this he is much better than an electric apparatus. Considering that it comes with a template that helps you not to be distracted by marking the ceramic when trimming the same pieces, this is the best solution for volumetric and clean work.
This shows how easy it is to cut porcelain stoneware with a hand-held tile cutter:
http://www.Youtube.com/watch?V=GTC9H3T_bLs

4 ways to cut porcelain stoneware: tile cutter, angle grinder, waterjet

Many people dislike trimming tiles. This lesson is quite difficult for a beginner. If you have not come across it, practice first on a clay tile. It is much softer and more pliable than porcelain stoneware. The tools are the same, and by stuffing your hand on ordinary ceramics, you can more confidently handle the artificial stone. Cutting porcelain stoneware involves the use of mechanical and electrical helpers.

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Angle Grinder

An angle grinder is the tool that will help out in the absence of any other cutting tool. Further about the advantages and disadvantages of the angle grinder.

Angle grinder can be trimmed of any shape and size, grind the angle at 45 degrees. For work, you need a special diamond disc for tiles: smooth and without holes.

Availability. There is an angle grinder in almost every home, it is enough to purchase a diamond wheel.
Possibility of curly cutting. The tool’s portability allows you to cut almost any shape. Skill would be enough.
Many people have a certain skill of working with an angle grinder, this provides a quick mastery of the trimming process.

Noise and dust. Working with an angle grinder is accompanied by “audio” and a lot of dust.
An angle grinder is a dangerous tool. Careless movement and neglect of safety measures can easily lead to injury.
Poor quality cut. Depending on the quality of the angle grinder, the degree of chips and microcracks in the tile is different, but there are always flaws. Finishing the cut by grinding partly solves the problem, but it is better to use an angle grinder for working with tiles, which, from an aesthetic point of view, are not of great importance. The cut points must be hidden.

Safe working techniques with an angle grinder:
http://www.Youtube.com/watch?V=fvqotukmgEo
Having outlined the cutting line, cut a couple of millimeters from it. The diamond wheel “eats” part of the ceramics. Set the circle in accordance with the direction of movement of the mechanism; there is an arrow on the cutting element. In the process, try to drive the car back and forth less, this will reduce the number of chips. This advice does not work when cutting thin pieces of porcelain stoneware, here the desire to cut in one pass will turn into a scrap of a slab.

Approach responsibly when choosing a diamond wheel, buy high-quality consumables. Otherwise, it is fraught with the destruction of the element, which at high speed leads to injury. Give preference to circles without ventilation (gaps), ceramics do not like them.
About the choice of a diamond wheel for trimming porcelain stoneware:
http://www.Youtube.com/watch?V=5Bn8ab9DkRI
A blunt “diamond” can be brought into working condition with a brick. Walk over it 2-3 times with the cutting element, this will rid the circle of accumulated dirt.
How to make a narrow crop:
http://www.Youtube.com/watch?V=uCTfHEy2j7g

How to cut porcelain stoneware with an electric tile cutter

In the recommendations on how to cut porcelain stoneware tiles at home, you can read that it is convenient to do it with a wet cutter. This is the name of the electric type tile cutter, for which a diamond cutting disc is used. To cool it down, water is supplied to the part during the cutting process (hence the name of the device).

There are two types of equipment: with upper and lower supply of tiles. The first ones make the cut as accurately as possible and are more expensive. For household chores, budget devices are often purchased that feed parts from below.

Devices of any type make it possible to make cuts not only straight, but also curved. To cut a piece of porcelain stoneware tiles, do the following:

We outline the cutting line.
We fix the part on the bed using special clamps. If you have to make a curved incision, you will have to hold it with your hands.
We start the device. First, we select the minimum speed of the disk, so the part does not deform.
Increase the cutting speed gradually. Make sure that the element does not move from vibration.

The cuts made on such equipment are more accurate and better than on a mechanical device. It is especially appreciated by beginners as it is able to completely neutralize the so-called shaking hand factor. In addition, the device allows you to cut fragments less than 6 mm wide, does not generate dust or noise. The main disadvantage of the device is the high price of quality models.

Cut off the plate without chips

Porcelain stoneware belongs to the materials of increased strength. There are practically no pores in it, it does not absorb water and does not crumble. It is very difficult to even scratch it. Therefore, home craftsmen have the question of how to cut off porcelain stoneware without chips and is it possible at all. It must be admitted that theoretically it is possible, but in practice it turns out very rarely. Often, small chips remain on the cut, which have to be sanded.

To keep them as small as possible, experienced craftsmen advise following these recommendations:

Cut the part from the top side. Most material chipping occurs where the cutter exits the plate.
The lower the thickness of the selected cutting disc for the grinder, the lower the chance of chipping.
Reduce torch speed at the beginning and end of the cut line.
When working with a mechanical tile cutter, apply more pressure to the lever than when cutting a regular tile.
Cut slightly to the right of the intended mowing line so that it stays on the cut piece. Then you can remove unwanted chips with a sander.

It is very important that the tool is of high quality and suitable for the material of choice. Otherwise, getting a beautiful cut without chips is almost impossible. If, nevertheless, they appear, which happens most often, the defects should be sanded down. You can use sandpaper or a diamond sponge.

The best option is a grinder with a special attachment. This is the so-called turtle or flexible diamond circle. They are distinguished by the diameter of the particles applied to the surface of the diamond coating. The turtle can only work with a grinder, the model of which provides for the ability to adjust the number of revolutions. If it is higher than three thousand per minute, the nozzle can fly off the axis.

Tools for cutting porcelain stoneware

Before determining how and what to cut porcelain stoneware at home, it is worth understanding its features. It is a composite material that successfully combines the properties of natural stone and ceramics. It is made by pressing a mixture pre-fired at high temperatures. The result is a very strong and durable material. During the production process, it can be given a variety of colors and textures.

The surface of the ceramic can be matte, glossy, structured, etc. This should be taken into account when choosing a cutting method.

You can cut a tile fragment using various tools:

Glass cutter;
Electric tile cutter (aka wet cutter);
Mechanical tile cutter;
Angle Grinder;
Device for waterjet cutting.

The latter method is not used in a home workshop, since it is assumed that special expensive equipment is available.

What tools are used

So, how to cut porcelain tiles at home? Hand tools are ineffective in this case. You should generally forget about the glass cutter. But there is a way out. First of all, it is worth mentioning such a tool, which is available in the arsenal of almost every real owner and craftsman. This is an angle grinder. With its help, you can successfully perform both a straight cut and a curly cut.

Do not use a glass cutter to cut porcelain tiles.

Another tool is a tile cutter. It is of two types: manual and electric. Since we are talking about porcelain stoneware, it is better to use the electric option. Of course, it will take up more space than an angle grinder or its manual alternative, but the efficiency is impressive.

You can use a device similar to an electric cutter, since you already have nothing suitable. Replace the circular saw blade with a diamond blade and you will get a good tool for working with porcelain stoneware.

If you intend to cut a large amount of porcelain stoneware, you can ask for help from special firms that provide this kind of service. They have all the necessary equipment for any kind of work. For curly cutting, the method of waterjet cutting is used, but this service is quite decent.

We cut porcelain stoneware tiles at home

When working with porcelain stoneware at home, the question often arises. How to cut porcelain stoneware tiles? This material is in some ways very similar to ordinary tiles, but for the most part it has a number of striking differences. In this regard, most of the tools that are successfully used for cutting tiles are not at all suitable in this case.

Due to the high strength of the material, not all tools are suitable for cutting porcelain tiles.

Material features

Porcelain stoneware gained its popularity due to its unique properties, but these advantages complicate the process of cutting tiles at home.

The following features of porcelain stoneware should be highlighted:

Strength;
Wear resistance;
Frost resistance;
Fire resistance;
Aesthetics;
Durability;
Environmental friendliness;
Hygiene;
Antistatic.

Due to the almost complete absence of pores in the structure of the material, porcelain stoneware is super strong, it does not scratch, abrade, does not crumble, but that is why it is very difficult to cut it yourself. How to be in such a situation?

Porcelain stoneware is a very durable material

Waterjet cutting of porcelain stoneware

This technology is used only at production sites. In addition, specialized equipment is involved here. Tiles of simple shapes can be cut as desired. But to get a complex profile, elements of various panels, complex shapes and compositions is possible only in this way. Waterjet technology involves water and special powder. The mixture is fed into the nozzle of the system under high pressure. Cutting is done with a fine jet. This guarantees the highest accuracy. This method is used for the production of artistic compositions based on porcelain stoneware. The cutting process itself is done quickly enough.

Benefits of electric tile cutters

The main advantage is the ease and speed of work. Quite large volumes of tiles can be processed in a short time. Also, there is no need for additional processing of edges. The cut is as smooth and clean as possible. The disc is equipped with a special turning mechanism. You can fix the position at any angle to the table. This allows you to get cuts at different angles.

An experienced specialist is able to make even curved cutouts of any shape using electric tile cutters. There are special porcelain stoneware floor tiles for sale. What and how to cut it? Answer. Only with electric tile cutters. In other ways, you can only spoil the expensive material.

Also, the advantages of this equipment and the method of cutting porcelain stoneware include the ability to adjust the feed of the cutting element at different sites. So, at the beginning and at the end, the feed should be done slowly, while in the middle it can be accelerated. With the help of this equipment, effective cutting of porcelain stoneware is performed. The technology of a flawless cut may not even be used here.

Even with a little experience, the cut will turn out to be perfectly flat without any chips.

Electric tile cutter

Owners of electric machines can tell how to cut porcelain stoneware tiles at home. With this equipment, you can get higher accuracy and speed than with a mechanical counterpart or an angle grinder. The design of the device is simple. The tool consists of two parts. This is a work table and an electric drive. For all its simplicity, there is a huge number of modifications of this equipment. So, porcelain stoneware was chosen as the finish. What makes cutting faster, easier? With an electric tile cutter, of course.

On sale you can find mechanisms with a fixed type of drive, as well as with a movable cutting tool. The first group of devices requires manual feeding of material under the cutting edge. This will require maximum concentration and some experience. The second group is safer and more accurate cutting of porcelain stoneware. The better to cut at home, everyone decides for himself. But it must be borne in mind that the process is very dusty. In the case of electric tile cutters, it settles in a container of water.

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